Bubble making toy



June 18, 1968 GREENE- 3,388,498

BUBBLE MAK I NC TOY Filed Jan. 5, 1966 INVENgORNE 3a NORMAN A. 6 EE F |G.6

. 4 38 $d- M M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,388,48 BUBBLE MIAKING THY Norman A. Greene, 154 Highridge Road, New Rochelle, N.Y. 10804 Filed Jan. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 518,850 12 Claims. (Cl. lo -S) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to bubble making toys.

The general object of the invention is to improve bubble making toys. A more particular object is to improve toys of the type in which a ring or loop is immersed and withdrawn from bubble liquid, and a puff is then directed at the loop.

In accordance with a feature and object of the present invention, a hand-held pressurized can is employed which carries a propellant gas (or liquified gas) as a source of the short discharges or puffs of gas which form the bubbles.

The propellant pressure may be high, say seventy pounds per square inch, which is excessive for bubble blowing, and a further object is to reduce the pressure for short puffs. Other objects are to make possible a small reservoir height (depth) relative to the loop diameter; to thereby reduce the relative motion needed for immersion of the loop; and to arrange mechanism whereby the same motion opens a valve to emit the desired puff of gas.

To accomplish the foregoing general objects and other more specific objects which will hereinafter appear, my invention resides in the bubble making toy and the interrelated elements thereof, as are hereinafter more particularly described in the following specification.

The specification is accompanied by a drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a toy embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section drawn to larger scale and taken approximately on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal section taken approximately on the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevation showing the mouth portion of FIG. 1 when the reservoir is depressed to expose the loop; and

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken between the loop and the finger piece.

Referring to the drawing and more particularly to FIG. 1, the bubble making toy there shown comprises a pressurized can 12 combined with a hollow cap 14 secured on top of the can and housing the bubble makng mechanism. The cap 14 may be given any desired configuration,

and may be amusingly decorated in various ways for toy purposes, but usually will represent a head having a relatively large and preferably circular mouth opening 16 through which a formed bubble is emitted.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the drawing, the can 12 of pressurized gas may be a standard Aerosol metal can containing a standard propellant gas, usually Freon. In such case it is a volatile liquid which is discharged as a gas. The top of the can is closed by a metal top 18 carrying a valve at 2%. This terminates in a discharge tube 22, and may be opened by depression of a slender valve pin 24. The pin is smaller than the bore of tube 22, and does not intefere with free discharge of gas through the tube 22 when the valve is opened by depression of pin 24.

The toy further comprises a reservoir 26 of bubble liquid, and a bubble forming ring or loop 28. These are mounted for relative movement to immerse or withdraw the loop from the bubble liquid. A nozzle 3-0 receives gas Patented June 18, I968 from the valve 2% when it is opened, and directs it toward and through the loop 23. A manually operable finger piece 32 serves to separate the loop and reservoir, and near the end of its motion, to depress pin 24 and thereby open valve 20 to blow a bubble from loop 28 and through the mouth opening 16.

Inasmuch as the discharge pressure from the can 12 may be excessive for the blowing of bubbles, I provide an expansion chamber 34 between the valve 20 and the nozzle 39. This serves to reduce the gas pressure at the nozzle 39 to only a fraction of the pressure at the valve 28. Preferably valve 2t) communicates with the expansion chamber 34 through a constricted aperture indicated at 36. The nozzle 36 preferably has a diameter much larger than that of the constricted aperture 36.

In the particular mechanism here shown the nozzle 30 and the loop 28 are fixed, while the reservoir 26 is moved downward from the loop by the finger piece 32. For this purpose the sides of the head 14 are provided with guides or rails 38 (FIGS. 3, 4, and 6), and the reservoir 26 while generally circular in outline, is indented at the sides to receive the rails 38. This will be seen in FIG. 4. The finger piece 32 is mounted above the reservoir 26 on spaced supports 4%), as shown in FIG. 6. These supports preferably have guide shoes 41 which are spaced upward from the reservoir and which also ride on the rails 38, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6.

The reservoir is normally elevated by means of a compression spring 42 (FIG. 3) disposed directly therebeneath, and shown in its compressed condition in FIG. 3. It will be evident that the reservoir is normally elevated, as shown in broken lines at 26, 32', with the loop 28 then immersed therein, and that depression of the finger piece moves the reservoir down to the solid line position to expose the loop 23, and finally to open the valve. For the latter purpose, the bottom of the reservoir may have a boss or stud 44 which bears against the pin 24 near the end of the downward movement.

An open-ended tube 46 may be provided between the nozzle 30 and the loop 28, in which case the tube preferably is mounted on and moved with the reservoir 26. The tube is of relatively large diameter, and it is so positioned that when the reservoir is moved down by the finger piece, the tube is moved to a working position between the nozzle 30 and the loop 28, as shown in FIG. 3.

The tube 46 is preferably given a Venturi characteristic. It is larger in diameter at its ends than in the middle, and it serves to aspirate air along with the putt of propellant gas when a bubble is being blown.

The nozzle 30 and tube 46 preferably are directed upwardly somewhat. The axis along which the bubbles are blown has been tilted upward as shown to compensate for the fact that the most common propellant gas (Freon) is somewhat heavier than air, but such a tilt would be desirable in any case. The aspiration of air previously mentioned is of advantage not only in conserving the use of propellant gas, but also in lightening the resulting bubbles.

The 'loop 28 is preferably flexible, so that it can be readily deformed when the reservoir 26 is raised. In the present case the loop is stamped out of sheet rubber, and it is readily squeezed from bottom to top on engaging the bottom of the reservoir. This is of advantage in that the reservoir may be shallow in depth compared to the height of the loop. In FIG. 3 the reservoir has been deepened somewhat where it receives the loop 28, but even so its depth is much less than what it would have to be to receive a loop having the diameter shown if the loop were rigid. The flexible loop reduces the necessary overall height of the toy, and even more importantly, it reduces 3 the motion or travel needed when depressing the finger piece.

The top of the reservoir is preferably closed, as shown, except fora slot 50 which receives the loop 28. Referring to FIG. 5 the loop preferably has a short tongue 52 extending downward, which remains in the slot 56 even when the reservoir is lowered. This has the advantage of making sure that the loop is properly guided into the reservoir when the latter is raised by the spring 42. It also has an advantage even when the reservoir is depressed as shown in FIG. 3, in making sure that the puffs of gas does not move the lower end of the flexible loop outwardly.

The upper end of the loop 28 is mounted in an inwardly projecting ledge 54 (FIGS. 3 and 4), as shown at 56. The top of the loop preferably has a fiat gasket area 58 which acts as a seal to close the slot 50 when the reservoir is in its elevated position, shown in dotted lines at 26'. The seal is maintained by the spring pressure, and tends to prevent spillage or loss of bubble liquid if the toy is not kept upright.

It would be ditficult to mold the loop support ledge 54 integrally with the inverted cup-shaped head 14, and in the present case it is made as part of a simulated nose 60, which is separately molded, and then mounted through a slot in the head at 64. The rubber loop is secured through a slot in the ledge 54, taking advantage of the flexibility of the material 56, which can be forced through the slot and which then expands back to initial shape above the slot and ledge.

For assembly, the head 14 receives the reservoir 26, the latter being inserted upwardly from beneath, and this is followed by an intermediate member 66, the parts 14 and 66 being secured together in any desired fashion, as by cementing at 68. The intermediate part 66 has a tubular center 70 which fits snugly about the tubular upper end 22 of the valve part 20. The intermediate member 66 also carries the expansion chamber 34 and the stationary nozzle 30. It serves an additional purpose in carrying the compression spring 42, and it is convenient to mount the lower end of the spring in a mating slot, as indicated at 72, in a support wall or walls 73. The intermediate member 66 is also arranged to be secured to can 12, as by cementing it at flange 74.

It is contemplated that the unit be charged initially not only with propellant gas, but also with bubble liquid, originally sold, and that it be expendable :after the gas and bubble liquid have been consumed. In such case the amount of bubble liquid in the reservoir is appropriately related to the amount of gas in the pressure can. To prevent tampering or premature operation the head 14 is made intact, and prevents access to the finger piece. This will be seen from inspection of FIG. 2, in which a part 76 of the head has a ring of slots 78 interrupted by relatively weak bridges or connections. Because of the part 76 the finger piece cannot be reached, and the top therefore is tamperproof during storage and shipment. However, in the hands of the ultimate user the part 76 is readily broken away, to form a relatively large access window, shown at 80 in FIG. 3, through which the finger piece 32 may be operated by one finger of the hand holding the device, as is indicated in broken lines at 82 (FIG. 3).

In operating the toy the gas is discharged only momentarily, that is, in a short puff for each depression of the finger piece. If desired the valve at may be a so-called metering valve instead of an ordinary valve. Such valves have already been used for products such as a deodorizer. The valve then limits the discharge to a suitable short time. The use of such a valve at 20 has the advantage of preserving the gas content against wastage, as when in the hands of a small child who may not realize that further bubbles will not be formed without again releasing and depressing the finger piece, and who instead may simply hold the finger piece down.

For optimum formation of bubbles, the gas pressure, the size of the aperture 36, the size of the nozzle 30, the

diameter of the loop etc. are all interrelated. If the dimension of one is changed it may be necessary to change the dimensions of the others. In one particular case the gas pressure was 70 pounds; the aperture at 36- was 0.05 inch in diameter; the nozzle 30 was inch in diameter; the loop 28 was inch in diameter; the spacing between the nozzle and the loop was 1 /2 inch; the tube 46 has a diameter of about /2 inch at the ends and inch at the middle. The entrant end of the tube 46 was about A; inch from the nozzle, and in any case it must clear the nozzle 30 because of the up-and-down movement of the tube 46 with the finger piece 32.

As here illustrated, the parts of the mechanism attached to the pressure can are almost wholly molded out of suitable plastics molding materials. The hollow shell 14 is molded in one piece. The reservoir 26 has a cover 27 cemented thereto, and the finger piece 32 and the tube 46 are themselves cemented to the cover 27. The intermediate member 66 is molded in one piece, except for the nozzle 30 and its upright support tube 31 and the top portion 35 of the expansion chamber 34. These are separately molded and are cemented to a mating part 33 of the intermediate member 66, to form the enclosed expansion chamber 34. The plastic used for the intermediate member 66 may be a somewhat yieldable plastic in order to provide a frictional connection on tube 22. The pin 24 passes through a closely fitting neck at to prevent escape of gas at that point.

The rear edge of the reservoir is shaped to clear nozzle 30. This is shown in FIG. 4, in which the reservoir 26 is shown cut away or shaped inward at 37 to fit around the upright part 31 and the horizontal part of the nozzle. The flat surface represents the top of the expansion chamber 34.

The propellant pressure may 'be varied by a change of the composition of the Freon used. The can discharge pressure may be less than the seventy pounds mentioned above. If a mixture is available which may be stored and released at a very low pressure, the expansion chamber 34 would be superfluous, and the nozzle 30 then could be connected directly to the value 20.

It is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the advantages of my improved bubble making toy, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described the invention in a preferred form, changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as sought to be defined in the following claims. In the claims the reference to pressurized gas in the can includes volatile liquids which may be stored in liquid form but discharged as a gas.

I claim:

1. A bubble making toy comprising a can of pressurized gas, a valve at the top of said can, a manually operable finger piece, a hollow cap secured on top of said can, said hollow cap enclosing a reservoir of bubble liquid, a bubble forming loop, means mounting said loop and reservoir for relative movement to immerse and withdraw the loop from the bubble liquid in the reservoir, and a nozzle receiving gas from said valve and directing it toward the loop, said cap being open for the escape of bubbles, said manually operable finger piece separating said loop and reservoir and opening said valve to blow a bubble.

2. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the can discharges gas at a pressure which is excessive for the blowing of the bubbles, and in which there is an expansion chamber between the valve and the nozzle, said chamber serving to reduce the gas pressure at the nozzle to a fraction of the pressure at the valve.

3. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the can discharges gas at a pressure which is excessive for the blowing of the bubbles, and in which there is an expansion chamber between the valve and the nozzle, and in which the valve communicates with the expansion chamber through a constricted aperture, the nozzle being much larger in diameter than said aperture, said chamber serving to reduce the gas pressure at the nozzle to a fraction of the pressure at the valve.

4. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the nozzle and the loop are fixed, and the reservoir is moved downward from the loop by the finger piece.

5. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the nozzle and the loop are fixed, and the reservoir is moved downward from the loop by the finger piece, and in which there is an open ended tube of relatively large diameter mounted on and moved with the reservoir and so positioned that it is disposed between the nozzle and the loop when the reservoir is moved downward from the loop by the finger piece.

6. A bubble makiri toy as defined in claim 1, in which there is an open-ended tube of relatively large diameter between the nozzle and the loop, and in which said tube is larger in diameter at its ends than in the middle, said tube serving to aspirate air along with the gas when a bubble is being blown.

7. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the reservoir has a depth less than the height of the loop, and in which the loop is made of a flexible material and is readily deformed when immersed in the reservoir, whereby it may be immersed and withdrawn by a movement which is short compared to the height of the loop.

8. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which there is a resilient means for moving the finger piece upward and for immersing the loop in the reservoir, and in which the top of the reservoir is closed except for a slot receiving the loop, and in which a gasket made of relatively soft sealing material is disposed at the top of the loop for sealing the slot of the reservoir against leakage, under force of the resilient means.

9. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1 in which the can and valve are of the standard type commonly used for Aerosol containers, but in which the can is loaded solely with the propellant material for discharge of gas.

10. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the bubble making mechanism including the finger piece in mounted inside the hollow cap which is secured on top of the can, and in which a part of the hollow cap has a ring of slots interrupted by relatively weak connecting bridges of material, whereby the finger piece cannot be reached and the toy is tamper-proof during storage and shipment, until the slotted part is intentionally broken away by the user, thereby forming an access window through which the finger piece may be operated.

11. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 1, in which the bubble making mechanism including the finger piece is housed in a hollow cap which is secured on top of the can, and in which said hollow cap is ornamented to represent the head of a toy figure with an open circular mouth through which the bubbles are emitted, said loop and nozzle being aligned with said mouth for blowing a bubble through the mouth.

12. A bubble making toy as defined in claim 11 in which the head has a nose a part of which projects inward through the wall of the head to provide a support ledge for the loop, and in which the reservoir is moved downward from the loop by the finger piece.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,021,323 12/1912 McMurtry. 2,842,894 7/1958 Walden 46-8 2,853,829 9/1958 Greene 46-8 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

C. R. WENTZEL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A BUBBLE MAKING TOY COMPRISING A CAN OF PRESSURIZED GAS, A VALVE AT THE TOP OF SAID CAN, A MANUALLY OPERABLE FINGER PIECE, A HOLLOW CAP SECURED ON TOP OF SAID CAN, SAID HOLLOW CAP ENCLOSING A RESERVOIR OF BUBBLE LIQUID, A BUBBLE FORMING LOOP, MEANS MOUNTING SAID LOOP AND RESERVOIR FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT TO IMMERSE AND WITHDRAW THE LOOP FROM THE BUBBLE LIQUID IN THE RESERVOIR, AND A NOZZLE RECEIVING GAS FROM SAID VALVE AND DIRECTING IT TOWARD THE LOOP, SAID CAP BEING OPEN FOR THE ESCAPE OF BUBBLES, SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE FINGER PIECE SEPARATING SAID LOOP AND RESERVOIR AND OPENING SAID VALVE TO BLOW A BUBBLE. 